Between Breaths
by Blanketspace
Summary: Korra happens to overhear Bolin boasting with his brother and curiousity gets the better of her during Earth Bending practice, emotions in tow the whole way. Fluff, humor, minor-angst. Borra. Rated M for possible later chapter and implied things.


**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything to do with Avatar or Legend of Korra, including their characters.  
**Notes**: … this was a prompt on tumblr that got away from me. Expect another chapter in the making.

**_Between Breaths_**; by bspace

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It wasn't eavesdropping if the entire block could hear it, nor was it incredibly personal to remember each and every single detail if it was repeated over and over again. But that didn't stop her from feeling a slick sense of perversion when she heard him boasting about other girls – those "fans" of theirs who cooed and swooned over him, squawking over his bright green eyes and the curl of his hair. Maybe it was a contest between brothers, she thought, hearing him talk to Mako about a few night ago, the slew of dates he's had, only to hear the Firebender rebuttal with a few of his own prior to dating Asami.

It reminded her about how distinctly... lonely she felt. At least on a physical level.

But did they really have to talk about this in public? Was this a guy thing? The only idea that came to mind to make this worse was the presence of Tahno walking abreast with the boys behind her, chattering on about his own. Did she even have fanboys? Aside from the whole Avatar notion that rose her to high fame in Republic City papers and infamy on the Equalist front... But those folks were the opposite of fanboys.

"Alright, I'm off to see Asami. We're going out to dinner tonight," Mako said with an airy laugh and Korra could hear the clap of a gloved hand on his Earth Bending brother's back. "You two try not to tear down the stadium during practice okay?"

She turned her head to the side to wave Mako off, watching him prance in the direction of the Sato estate.

Her body shivered out a sigh as Bolin jaunted up to her side, grinning and blabbering on about various forms and the like he was going to help her with. The bending brothers offered to make her Avatar training a bit easier and increasingly entertaining, showing her forms and different ways at looking at her bending. Bolin had been particularly helpful with his own skills and techniques, completely differing from what she had learned from the North Pole and the White Lotus.

But Earth Bending practice was far from her mind as they meandered in to the gym, her footfalls heavy and ominous of the inevitable stupidity her own mind would visit upon herself. Her eyes followed him as he strutted past her, already clipping down his normal green garb to toss across the gym room, leaving him bare the white tank and black linen pants, humming as he toed off his shoes. She had taken to heart the lessons of Earth bending with the feel of soil and ground beneath the soles of feet, the press of mud between toes and the shudder of the floor that indicated movement and the pulse of the planet. And her new instructor has more than encouraged her to follow such teachings as well.

"Uh, Korra, you gonna change or are you doing this in your day gear?" She felt a head-rush as she sought to gather her attention back to him, currently staring at her expectantly with pursed lips.

Her hand found the back of her head as she grinned sheepishly, kicking the ground before moving to shuck her shoes off to the side of the room, following suit. "Sorry, Bolin... I'm just a bit distracted." The hand dropped from it's placement, easily falling into standard formation in a modified horse-stance.

"Oh? Care to talk about it?" He gave her a grin, shifting his feet to mirror her, a balled fist rising to the heart of his chest.

"It's okay," she muttered, shaking her head, slowly garnering the feel of vibration and chi quaking against her legs. "It's probably nothing you want to talk about."

"Korra, don't be like that. You know you can't concentrate properly on bending if you got your head elsewhere." That was one thing about Earth Bending; it required focus, control, and a mindset made quite literally, from stone. Rock was more than just a stubborn element, it was demanding and possessive – it wouldn't yield to a half hearted mind, knowing full well the preservation of self could move mountains. Earth gave everything and expected the same in return, serious and steady.

Her toes flexed against the gym floor, dragging a foot forward as if to shift to a more comfortable stance; similar to that of her fire bending forms. "I know, I just... It's none of my business. "

"What is it?"

"How do I put this?" The idea clawed in the back of her skull. How would she sputter out so blindly that she thought of him flirting and garnering the affections of quibbling girls? Would it come out as petty jealousy since her rejection or desperation that she so eagerly wanted to experience such things upon her body and heart?

"You can tell me anything, you know that," he spoke easily, shrugging.

"Fine." Maybe that was her issue – the sheer idea that he would be excepting of her notions, not damning. But would she sink so low after hurting him, to crawl and plead for his embrace or just even an inkling, a hint, of his touch to keep her warm on colder nights.

"Well?"

"Have you really done... all of those kinda thing with so many different girls?" Her tone came out shyer than expected, hidden under breaths and sloppy lips.

"Is that what this is about?" His body shivered, coming out of stance to cross arms about his broad chest, already shifting the weight on his feet to stand normally.

"Can't blame me for asking. I was about to ask if you wanted me to get a megaphone so you could broadcast it to the rest of Republic City." She didn't budge, nail digging into her palm with faint signs of sweat and prickles of pain, knowing full well she would have half-moon indents upon her skin.

"... I guess I was kinda loud, wasn't I?" He seemed to mull the idea over, not slightly embarrassed by a question he needn't get an answer for.

Loud enough for her imagine precarious situations and images, but her jaw clenched before a blush streaked on her face, trying her trademark grin to fight off any telltale signs.

"Kinda?" Smug was a good look for her, if only she could keep it up.

"Don't even." He pointed a finger at her before settling tapping fingers back on his bicep. "But I have in the past, but nothing serious as come from it – most of the girls spend their time with me before they meet my brother and-"

"Does it work?" She had to derail him from his brother, the thoughts of being used only to get to Mako. She was guilty of it, though, not initially, but for girls that hardly knew him to enact such disrespect; it made her blood boil.

"What?" Emerald hues blinked rapidly at her.

"Your pick up lines and your way of flirting – does it work?" She dropped her hands and walked closer to him, tilting her head up just so to glance into his eyes with confusion.

"I don't know, you tell me." A grin was shot down at her, making heat crawl through her belly and slithering past her spine. He had a way with his smile, making her knees quake like landslides slipping under her feet.

"Huh?"

"We did go on a date; you seemed pretty enamored, but that was awhile ago."

"Well..." She doubted she could count her mistakes on both hands about what had transpired that week, but the Earth Bender before her seemed easy enough to forgive, even if she caught some of the most soulful and mournful looks cast in her direction at times.

"So my charms do work, sometimes Why, you want me try it out on you again?" Oh, don't get your hopes up Korra. This could only lead to bad romance novels and night huddled in blankets wishing for romance like those new moving picture screens – the Avatar needed to put her priorities straight, but the strapped man before her made it oh-so difficult.

She huffed, crossing her arms, craning her neck. "Don't make sound like I'm some bending move."

"We could talk about a different type of ben-" She slapped a hand over his mouth, ignoring the chuckle that vibrated against her palm.

"Okay '_Tahno_', I didn't know you were teaching me Earth Bending," she laughed, joking as fingers tapped against his cheek before falling away from his face, catching against the neckline of his tank.

"Hey, don't compare me to that guy." A wide grin crossed his face, eyes shimmering while a healthy blush crept across his chest. "And sorry, you left yourself open for that."

"Uhuh. I think I liked your more complimentary methods better."

"It's not just a compliment if it's the truth," he purred, tongue clucking against his teeth.

"Bolin..." She felt the prickle of a blush crawl up her neck to done her face, painting on her cheekbones, warding against the pathetic growl in her voice.

"Ha! That's a blush. I still got it." He patted the strong muscle of his arm, emphasizing a blatant and overstated victory.

"Right, whatever makes you happy Bo." Korra knew this conversation could get dangerous fast, her body already swooning in proximity to the handsome green-eyed bender before her.

"Come on, Korra. I wouldn't even dream of trying something like that on you though..."

"Really... Why?"

A pause and swallow, her eyes watching the bob of his adam's apple.

"Because I actually care about you." She glanced at the way he bit down on his lip, her heart aching for a moment at the way his eyes drifted from her to the floor – knowing she drudged up wounds that were best left closed and healed over with mounds of scar tissue.

Score nothing for the Avatar in tact.

"Listen, maybe... I should just... try practice another time. Sorry about making this awkward." Her body moved to brush past his, jerking in motion as callused finger tips wrapped around her arm, bringing her to an abrupt halt. The muscle in her neck strain as she whipped her head to face him, gently tugging against the hold.

"At least let me prove one thing to you, okay?"

"What is that?" Curiosity got the better of her.

"That I'm a good kisser."

She didn't have much time to think before her body was yanked against his, the plush of her body clashing against the steady thick of his, heat radiating off the pair of them like lava. His other hand found her hair, threading through bangs and the tassels that bound mocha locks; face tilting with the slightest bit of hesitation with breath whispering promises of chaste adoration if that's all she desired or something feral and harsh, biting with a ferocity that boiled in his breast and hers alike.

The pull of his fingers on her arm drifted, sliding down toned flesh, eliciting a shiver and gooseflesh to rise along naturally tanned skin, eventually to place his hand upon her waist in soft grip. He was waiting for her to say yes or nod, some form of acknowledgment that displayed her want for the strong and coiled man before her – and how she did. Though she gave him no words, no jerk of her head, but creased her brows and smiled with the corners of her mouth twitching just so from nerves. Avatar or not, she couldn't calm the pounding in her chest.

It was all he needed apparently, eyes dropping to stare at her lips and against the ocean swimming in her irises. Korra sucked in a breath at the touch of chapped lips on her own, mouthing softly over as he pulled her closer. Her eyes fell shut, the feeling of teeth pressing into her lip, or the wet and warm sensation of tongue coursing soothing along the line of her closed mouth—it shook tingles down her body.

The hand on her hip moved along to the small of her back, fingerpads pulling her closer to mesh hips against hips causing her to groan into the simple kiss. Nails scraped on her scalp, urging her to act lest this kiss be a onesided venture as lips glided down to capture her lower lip between teeth.

Her hands twitched as she raised them to find purchase in the thin cloth of his tank, bunching at the neckline. She sighed at the feel of her lip being pulled, cocking her head to the side as she crushed her mouth against his, pushing the tenderness and cautious touch form her mind, heat growing in spiraling sensation across her back and hips. The groan rumbling in his throat encouraged more, her right hand leaving the fabric to clasp behind the thick of his neck.

As she yanked him down just a bit, her nose bumped against his, awkward and fumbling as she felt the cool sensation of her hair falling out of it's high ponytail to splay against her back. There was a clash of teeth and brush of tongues for a moment, her nails digging into the soft and pliant skin of his neck as she felt the tug of fingers in her hair.

"Korra," he murmured against her lips, eagerly peppering light butterfly kisses as his body near curled over hers. "We should." Nip. "...Should stop this."

"What if I don't want to?" The Avatar husked, a small whimper escaping her as the Earth Bender in question pulled back, despite keeping her body snug against his.

"I really don't think this... in here, is a good idea." He was talking about the gym, but she couldn't find reason to care, fingers drawing circles on his neck before slipping down to rest on a tapered.

"You don't want to?"

"Oh _spirits_, I want to, don't even think that. I do so badly but... A girl like you deserves so much more than a dirty floor." He panted, gently tugging his hand from her hair to fall on her shoulder, thumb brushing along the divot between neck and shoulder.

"I'm the Avatar, Bolin, not some fussy nitwit of a fangirl." She purred, her fingers danced against the hem of his linen pants, the heel of her palm brushing against a distinct bulge, gifting her with a moan. She had have the mind to prove her point, to slip her hand beneath the fabric of his clothes, explore and tease until his brain couldn't work any longer, because she was near short from fully functional.

"I know... Ah!" She grinned as her hand brushed against his hardness again, earning her a hiss. "S-stop that!" He swatted her hand away, looking beyond flustered. "But that's why it can't be here. I'll give you everything I got if you'd ask me to, but behind closed doors and in a bed."

"Just like those girls?" She wasn't trying to bait him, not in the slightest but it was a matter of esteem and knowing that the nagging in her throat was telling the truth about whirling emotions.

"I'd never offer to take them home." That was the truth, she could tell as much – for all the times she had spent at their abode, never once had another woman aside from Asami, that she had seen, crossed the threshold.

"And what makes me different?" Now, that was baiting.

"What makes you different is how I feel about you, Korra. Don't be coy now, it's not nearly as cute as you think. And hey! Watch the hands!" She felt her wrist in a tight grip for a moment, just enough to warn but with ease she could slip from the vice of his fingers.

"Then what are we waiting for? Mako is with Asami and..." She never claimed to be seductive or subtle; it wasn't the Avatar's true calling.

"Okay, eager."

She felt the tremble of his laugh, matching the steady drum of his heart and lungs.

"Well?"

"First off, I gotta know something..." His fingers flexed against her wrist, letting go to thread through her own fingers – she allowed it, her head filled with fuzzy feelings at the breath-taking contrast of their skin interlaced.

She leaned up, her teeth dragging along the lobe of his ear followed by a flicker of tongue on the abused cartilage, his soft moan like music to her ears. "Hmm?"

"I'm not going through with this if it's a one time thing. Korra, you need know that I'm in this for the long haul... I can't... do this again if you won't." His tone resonated against stone walls, echoing in her eardrums and bringing back the scathing sense of reality to over take the lusty euphoria pounding in their bloodstreams.

She dropped down to her feet, one hand still fisted in his shirt, staring up with hooded eyes to clash against a stern look. The thought never crossed her mind, though reason stood true at this moment – of course he would assume, after everything, from their first date to the crush of his heart before their bending match... She couldn't be insulted that he'd ask this of her; he was just protecting himself from the wrench of emotions inflicted a few months prior.

They shared a deafening silence, before her throat cleared, speaking with a tone that brook no argument.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

The look that crossed his face was worth more than anything she could muster thought of; a broad grin that crinkled his nose, pulling at the edges of his cheeks with a healthy blush, contrasting handsomely against viridian prismatic eyes. She felt her body lift, as he pulled her towards him, hitching his arms once around her waist under her thighs.

"You should really prepare yourself," he growled, hands digging into the developed musculature of her thighs.

"I can walk, you know." Her arms looped around his neck despite herself, enjoying the feel of her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. Her mind had already begun to wander to smooth and slick sensation and imagery of such a position with a severe lack of clothing between them.

"Prepare yourself."

"This is going to be in the papers..." She noted and droned, ducking her head as he carried her through an arch.

"Killing the mood." The Earth Bender let out a sing-song tone, firmly shifting one hand under her rump.

"You're carrying me!"

"I'm trying to be romantic!" He placed his lips to her collarbone, laughing as she shivered under the slight attention that seemed to tame from moments ago. It seemed to quell the rising embarrassment.

"Fine..."

At least it was a short walk.

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**A/N**: Oh god, R&R if you would be so mind. I wrote this ridiculously fast... Chapter 2 mayhaps? Lemme know what you think!


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